Arsenal handed major Ben White & Gabriel boost in 4-0 win over Brentford

Arsenal, and keenly Mikel Arteta, is in desperate need of a helping hand from the elements beyond his control. Lady Luck has not been on his side since the 2021/22 season kicked off.

Starting the Premier League campaign with COVID-19 absences aplenty and injuries elsewhere, the performance against the Bees was nonetheless lacklustre – but not aided by matters beyond the manager’s control.

Chelsea and Manchester City came along and worsened matters, with two dire displays involving a similarly depleted squad setting Arsenal on course to their worst start to a season in 67 years. Nowhere was as badly exposed as in defence.

Unable to call upon Gabriel so far this season following a knee injury and only have Ben White available for one fixture having also contracted the coronavirus, a central defensive partnership of Calum Chambers, Rob Holding and Sead Kolasinac against City was enough to turn the television off before kick-off. We wish we had.

Arsenal handed major fitness boosts for Ben White & Gabriel as pair line up for Mikel Arteta’s side in behind-closed-doors 4-0 win over Brentford

Given that the international break has come around it’s provided the perfect opportunity for Arteta’s absentees to regain their match fitness. In a surprise announcement on Thursday, Arsenal revealed steps were taken in that regard with Gabriel and White partnering one another in a behind-closed-doors friendly with Brentford.

Running out 4-0 winners, the £77m worth of centre-backs formed part of a back three with Pablo Mari and as per the match report, came through the match ‘unscathed’. Gabriel even opened the scoring shortly after half-time before his 69th minute substitution, while White was replaced not long after.

It’s a huge boost for Arteta to not only have his best two central defenders edging closer to full fitness, but to have given them a run out together in the side.

Most interesting of all, however, is that their first minutes together came in a back three. With Mari as the central option of the trio, if all goes well ahead of Norwich in the Premier League, one would have thought playing the two as part of a back four might have been the direction to take.

Is the formation a hint towards what may come in the matches following the international break, or was it just a means to add more protection for the returning pair?

An interesting question that also leans into the narrative that Takehiro Tomiyasu has been signed to play as a central defender, not a right-back, in which case he is more likely to be White’s backup.

Surely, though, he is going to play as a right-back.

In any case, the returns of the best central defenders on the books comes as a massive relief as with minutes under their belts – Gabriel also played 45 minutes for the Under-23’s – it puts the side in better stead for the visit of the Canaries.

It’s worth nothing that Brentford’s team was….young.